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bbc.com
Stock markets are too high and set to fall, says Bank of England deputy
It is unusual for a senior figure at the Bank to be so forthright on market movements.
cnbc.com
U.S. soldier arrested for $400K winning Polymarket bets on Maduro capture, DOJ says
The arrest comes as concerns have grown about people with inside information making bets on the Polymarket and Kalshi prediction markets.
cnbc.com
Spirit Airlines lawyer says cash 'not going to last for very much longer,' but government rescue on the table
Spirit Airlines confirmed it is in talks with the Trump administration for a rescue package.
bbc.com
Meta says it will cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending soars
The cuts, which employees had been expecting for weeks, will be Meta's largest layoff since 2023.
cnbc.com
Treasury yields move higher as oil prices rise amid U.S.-Iran standoff
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note — the key benchmark for U.S. government borrowing — rose as Middle East tensions flared again.
cnbc.com
Nvidia backs AI company Vast Data at $30 billion valuation
The chip giant has increasingly become an investor of companies involved in the AI boom.
cnbc.com
Brent oil tops $105 as tensions simmer in Strait of Hormuz, Israel threatens attacks
Oil prices are rising again as tensions escalate in the U.S.-Iran conflict.
cnbc.com
OpenAI announces GPT-5.5, its latest artificial intelligence model
The model is better at coding, using computers and pursuing deeper research capabilities, OpenAI says.
cnbc.com
Microsoft plans first-ever voluntary employee buyout for up to 7% of U.S. workforce
Microsoft's inaugural voluntary buyouts will be open to workers at the senior director level and below whose years of employment and age add up to 70 or more.
cnbc.com
White House warns of 'industrial-scale' efforts in China to rip off U.S. AI tech
The U.S. government has previously accused China of targeting American AI technology and intellectual property.
theguardian.com
Thousands call on UK ministers to cut ties with US tech giant Palantir
More than 200,000 have signed petitions urging the government to break contracts amid concerns about the company’s ‘supervillain’ manifestoMore than 200,000 people have called on ministers to break contracts with Palantir in an apparent groundswell of public concern about the US tech company’s role in the NHS, police, military and councils.Two petitions have attracted 229,000 signatures, one calling for the government to end all public contracts with the company, the software of which is used by Donald Trump’s ICE immigration enforcement programme and the Israeli military, and another urging the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to cancel its £330m patient data contract with the NHS. Continue reading...
bbc.com
High street drug dealer sells cannabis to undercover reporter
Across the UK, shopfronts are being exploited by criminal gangs pushing illegal drugs, experts say.
theguardian.com
‘Hairdryer or lighter?’: French police look at claim of sensor tampering to win weather bets
Forecasting service raises alarm over data from Paris airport used to settle Polymarket wagers on temperatureFrench police are investigating alleged tampering with national weather forecasting service equipment after a series of unusual temperature readings coincided with suspicious winning bets made on Polymarket.Data from a Météo-France weather station at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport was used to settle bets between online gamblers on what the temperature would be in Paris for March and the first weeks of April. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
BP’s chair deserved a kick for his silly obstinacy over shareholder resolution
Albert Manifold and his board refused to put a request from investor group on annual meeting agenda – leading to an investor revoltBP has fresh faces in the boardroom and a rigged strategy: it’s pivoting back to oil and gas and away from its low-carbon assets in an attempt to improve a weak share price. One can agree or disagree with the approach. But it was a silly act of overreach for a newish chair to try to stifle debate on such matters.That, in effect, was what Albert Manifold did when he excluded a resolution for Thursday’s annual meeting from Follow This, a Dutch investor group. The proposal itself cannot be described as explosive. It was pitched in investor-friendly terms and would merely have obliged BP to describe how it would protect shareholder value if demand for oil and gas falls. Nor is Follow This some two-bob outfit within the ranks of climate groups. It was claiming support from investors with $1tn under management. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on Anthropic’s Claude Mythos: when AI finds every flaw, who controls the internet? | Editorial
Tech can scale cyber-attacks and defences alike, raising questions about private power, public risk and the future of a shared internetAnthropic announced its latest AI model, Claude Mythos, this month but said it would not be released publicly, because it turns computers into crime scenes. The company claimed that it could find previously unknown “zero-day” flaws, exploit them and, in principle, link these weaknesses in order to take over major operating systems and web browsers. Mythos did so autonomously, writing code and obtaining privileges. The implications are significant. It’s like a burglar being able to target any building, get inside, unlock every door and empty every safe.The Silicon Valley company has so far named 40 organisations as partners under Project Glasswing to help mount a defence – asking them to “patch” vulnerabilities before hackers get a chance to exploit them. All are American, sitting at the heart of the US-led digital system. Anthropic shared Mythos with only Britain outside the US, allowing the AI Security Institute to test frontier models. After seeing it up close, British ministers warned: AI is about to make cyber-attacks much easier and faster, and most businesses are not ready. Banks in Europe are likely to test it next.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on help to buy: entrenching housing inequalities, rather than helping | Editorial
The Tories’ flagship scheme has aided higher earners most. The latest analysis of its flaws should lead to a rethinkThe results are in. The biggest winners from the Conservatives’ help to buy scheme were high-earners who were already likely to buy a house. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examined who benefited from the policy, and concluded that the top 10% of earners received the largest cash benefit. Rather than helping people to buy, it more likely helped the already fortunate to accumulate wealth quicker (by helping them buy earlier, or more expensive properties). Of course, this distorted the market: pushing prices up in some areas, and largely increasing competition rather than supply.That its flagship housing policy accelerated housing and wealth inequalities during a time when the government insisted deep cuts to public finances were needed is not just shocking – it underlines how deep the Tory project of redistribution went. In the 12 years to 2022-23, net spending by councils on housing, per person, was cut by 35%, while spending on planning and development was cut by a third – but clearly there was some cash to go around.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Ben Jennings on the Met’s interest in using Palantir AI technology – cartoon
Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Some Interrail travellers told to cancel passports as hacked data posted online
Eurail, which sells passes, says data being ‘offered for sale on dark web’ after December breach affecting 300,000 peopleHolidaymakers across Europe are facing the stress and expense of getting new passports after their personal data was posted on the dark web after a hack of the Interrail company Eurail.Personal data, including passport numbers, names, phone numbers, email and home addresses and dates of birth of more than 300,000 European travellers was accessed in December. But this week Eurail revealed to customers that “data copied during the security incident has been offered for sale on the dark web and a sample dataset has been published on Telegram”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Which airlines are cancelling flights to the UK - and what can you do?
Airlines are putting up prices and cancelling flights in response to higher jet fuel prices.
theguardian.com
Lockheed Martin CEO sees Trump’s Pentagon as ‘golden opportunity’ for growth
Jim Taiclet spoke in earnings call as company expands contracts with the US government amid the Iran warLockheed Martin’s CEO has called the Trump administration a “golden opportunity” for the company as it expands its contracting work for the federal government amid the conflict in the Middle East.In an earnings call on Thursday covering the first quarter of 2026, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet told investors that the company is well positioned “based on more available resources for us”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
We look at the different circumstances that affect you if you're due a refund for cancelled or delayed flights.
bbc.com
Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount's $111bn takeover
The approval came as Donald Trump is to attend a dinner with billionaire Paramount backers the Ellisons.
theguardian.com
UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets
Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facingConfidence in the UK economy has fallen sharply amid the mounting economic fallout from the Iran war, surveys show, as businesses prepare to raise their prices and consumers brace for a fresh cost of living shock.Highlighting the knock-on effect of the Middle East crisis in Britain, several closely watched surveys of business activity and consumer confidence blamed the US-Israeli war on Iran for a marked deterioration in the outlook in April. Continue reading...
bbc.com
What the Warner Bros deal could mean for streaming, cinemas and news
If Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros goes ahead it could significantly reshape Hollywood.
cnbc.com
Roche CEO laments Swiss franc strength as drugmaker doubles down on U.S. investment
Currency effects weighed on the Swiss drugmaker's first-quarter earnings
cnbc.com
L'Oreal stock pops 9% after 'impressive' earnings, notches biggest gain in 18 years
The cosmetics market shows no signs of slowing down, analysts said after L'Oreal's "impressive" results.
cnbc.com
Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill any boat' laying mines in Hormuz Strait
Trump's post shows the U.S. ratcheting up tensions with Iran over the strait, which has been largely choked off to oil tanker traffic since the war began.
theguardian.com
Campaign launched to reunite young Britons with forgotten savings accounts
HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200.HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between September 2002 and January 2011. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
These charts show how Iran's economy is in freefall
Tehran's hardline rhetoric belies a brutal reality facing the regime and Iranian citizens: its economy, vulnerable even before the war, is now in tatters.
cnbc.com
Europe's summer travel is on the line as airlines' jet fuel supply dwindles
Europe faces jet fuel shortages as the Middle East supply is cut off. Airlines may have to cut flights and raise fares ahead of peak summer travel.
cnbc.com
Oil giant BP suffers shareholder revolt over climate transparency at tense AGM
Oil giant BP failed to get two motions passed, one of which would've permitted retiring two company climate disclosure obligations.
cnbc.com
Trump's net approval rating on economy and overall falls to lowest of his two terms, CNBC survey shows
President Donald Trump's overall — and economic — approval ratings plunged in the latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey.
theguardian.com
BP board suffers triple climate rebellion from shareholders
More than 50% of voters at first AGM under new leadership oppose plans to scrap climate reportingBP’s board has suffered a triple climate rebellion in its first shareholder meeting since appointing new leadership to steer the embattled oil company.More than 50% of shareholders voting at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) came out against its plans to scrap its existing climate reporting, and its resolution to replace in-person annual shareholder meetings – a lightning rod for climate protest in recent years – with online-only events. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
'We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history,' IEA chief tells CNBC
"We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history," Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, told CNBC on Thursday.
cnbc.com
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount acquisition
Warner Bros. Discovery held a special meeting on Thursday for shareholders to vote on Paramount's proposed acquisition of the company.
bbc.com
Asbestos toy warnings
Asbestos toy warnings
cnbc.com
Microsoft expands AI footprint in Australia with $18 billion investment
Microsoft announced a new A$25 billion ($18 billion) investment into Australia's digital infrastructure on Thursday, spanning cybersecurity and AI development.
cnbc.com
Asia markets mostly end lower as U.S. reportedly intercepts Iranian oil tankers, rattling fragile ceasefire optimism
Asian equities retreated after reports of U.S. tanker interceptions raised doubts over the durability of an Iran ceasefire.
cnbc.com
American Airlines cuts 2026 earnings projections after surge in jet fuel
American Airlines cut its 2026 earnings forecast, becoming the latest airline to lower its outlook after a surge in fuel costs added billions to its expenses.
theguardian.com
UK undershoots annual borrowing target by £700m
Figure hits three-year low but Iran war expected to blow hole in Reeves’s fiscal ‘headroom’The UK government budget came in below its annual borrowing target by £700m, official figures show – but the Iran war is likely to blow a hole in Rachel Reeves’s carefully calculated fiscal “headroom” over the coming months.The government borrowed a net total of £132bn for the financial year ending in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This slightly undershot the £132.7bn that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had forecast just last month. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Trump to host bash for crypto investors tied to his coin sales
Top buyers promised access at Mar-a-Lago event as Democrats and watchdogs warn of pay-to-play risksDonald Trump is slated to star at a cryptocurrency bash on 25 April at his Mar-a-Lago club for scores of purchasers of his crypto memecoin $Trump that has enriched him while in office. The move is fueling renewed criticism from top Democrats and ethics watchdogs that he is using the presidency for financial gains in a break with ethical norms.The Trump-linked Fight Fight Fight LLC has hyped the event as “THE MOST EXCLUSIVE CRYPTO & BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN THE WORLD”. It’s promising a luncheon with Trump as its keynote speaker, according to the memecoin’s official website and its social media account. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
LVMH CEO Arnault warns of 'world catastrophe' if Middle East conflict is not resolved
Arnault warned of "very serious" economic consequences of the Iran war after the conflict hit the luxury conglomerates first-quarter sales last week.
theguardian.com
Plan for healthier school meals in England will hit services, say caterers
Trade body warns that changes are likely to drive up costs and push pupils to find somewhere to buy junk food Business live – latest updatesA government push to get schoolchildren eating more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned.Proposals for healthier meals in English schools, which would limit the amount of desserts and reduce “grab-and-go” items such as pizzas and sausage rolls, would pile pressure on an already struggling sector, caterers said. Continue reading...
bbc.com
UK borrowing lowest for three years but Iran war clouds outlook
The improvement in government finances is unlikely to last, analysts say, with the impact of the Iran way yet to hit.
bbc.com
Petrol thefts surge as Iran war pushes up fuel costs
Petrol thefts are up by around 62% compared to last year.
bbc.com
Four arrested over suspected home insulation scheme fraud
The Serious Fraud Office raided homes and businesses over alleged conspiracy to defraud public money.
bbc.com
Grocers aim for cost-of-living help 'with dignity'
Produce from Woking Community Grocery is offered to customers at a significantly reduced rate.
theguardian.com
Footage purportedly shows Iranian forces seize two vessels in the strait of Hormuz - video
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released footage purportedly showing its forces seizing two vessels in the strait of Hormuz and escorting them to Iranian shores. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the two ships attempted 'to exit the strait of Hormuz covertly'. The White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump did not consider the capture of the ships to be a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire because the vessels were not American or Israeli• Middle East crisis – live updates Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Sainsbury’s boss urges government to help ease rising energy costs for food producers
Simon Roberts says support for bills on back of Iran war should include ‘food growing, manufacturing and retailing’The boss of Sainsbury’s has called on the government to help ease the rising cost of energy for farmers, food producers and retailers caused by the conflict in the Middle East to prevent further price rises.Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the UK’s second largest grocer, said: “The single biggest thing the government could do to keep prices down is to make sure energy prices for the industry are not rising faster.” Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Bibby Stockholm asylum barge contractor admits overcharging UK government £118m
Australia’s Corporate Travel Management is ‘negotiating commercial arrangements’ to refund the moneyThe Australian company that ran the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge has admitted it overcharged the British government by £118m.Corporate Travel Management (CTM) said its auditor had found evidence of “erroneous billing” of its UK clients, increasing its estimate of how much it owes the government by £40m. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Asos demands £7m from US as firms rush to claim tariff refunds
Hundreds of thousands of firms could potentially win back some money after the tariffs were struck down.
cnbc.com
Anthropic looks to hire six-figure role for negotiating data center deals to fuel Europe AI expansion
U.S. tech giants have announced huge infrastructure expenditure in 2026 as they look to scale the deployment of AI.
theguardian.com
Starmer urged to bring in ticket-touting ban as resellers target Big Weekend
Industry groups dismayed at hints policy will not be in king’s speech, as touts make huge sums from BBC Radio 1 eventKeir Starmer has been urged to honour his pledge to ban ticket touting, amid fears that the policy will be left out of next month’s king’s speech, potentially costing fans “hundreds of millions”.Music industry groups called on the prime minister to act as fresh evidence showed that professional ticket “traders” had targeted BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend next month, making huge mark-ups through sites such as Viagogo and StubHub. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
How the Iran war has stoked competition between India and China for Russian oil
As the Iran war drags on and the Strait of Hormuz stays shut, India and China are increasingly competing against each other for shrinking crude oil supplies.
cnbc.com
Economic coercion from U.S. and Europe almost drove Canada 'into China's arms,' says Trudeau
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said U.S. actions almost allowed aircraft manufacturer Bombardier to be bought by China.
cnbc.com
The future of air power is autonomous and the U.S. is not in the lead, aircraft developer CEO warns
The current wars in Iran and Ukraine have shown that small and medium sized autonomous platforms have dominated.
theguardian.com
City firms bank on ‘Savvy Squirrel’ advertising campaign to push Britons towards investing
The campaign is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymiedNils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a bit too tame’City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing.The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ nationwide push to encourage more financial risk taking, amid fears risk-averse consumers are losing out and ultimately stymying UK growth. Continue reading...
bbc.com
AI is already leading to fewer jobs for young people, says Sunak
The former prime minister said graduates' concerns about getting entry-level jobs are justified.
cnbc.com
Justin Trudeau tells CNBC that international organizations may no longer be fit for purpose
Trudeau reiterated Ottawa's call for world leaders to unite and adopt "microlateralism" where a small group of countries identify shared interests.
cnbc.com
CNBC Daily Open: No path to peace — yet: Trudeau
Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the path to peace will be challenging as Iran's fragile ceasefire continues.
theguardian.com
A catastrophic climate event is upon us. Here is why you’ve heard so little about it | George Monbiot
Scientists say a crucial Atlantic system is more likely to collapse than previously thought. But the billionaire death cult that steers humanity’s destiny doesn’t do existential crisesThe poor and middle pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the very rich pay lawyers – and the ultra-rich pay politicians. It’s not an original remark, but it bears repeating until everyone has heard it. The more money billionaires accumulate, the greater their control of the political system – which means they pay less tax, which means they accumulate more, which means their control intensifies.They reshape the world to suit their demands. One of the symptoms of the pathology known as “billionaire brain” is an inability to see beyond their own short-term gain. They would sack the planet for a few more stones on the pointless mountain of wealth. And we can see it happening. Last week delivered the biggest news of the year so far, perhaps the biggest news of the century. But partly because billionaires own most of the media, most people never heard it. We might find ourselves committed to a civilisation-ending event before we even learn that such a thing is possible.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
bbc.com
Watch: BBC goes undercover at mini-mart selling drugs
BBC UK editor Ed Thomas confronts a shopkeeper secretly filmed selling cannabis and cocaine to one of our researchers.
bbc.com
High Street mini-marts selling cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs, BBC secret filming reveals
Across the UK, shopfronts are being exploited by criminal gangs pushing illegal drugs, experts say.
theguardian.com
Number of billionaires globally could reach 4,000 in next five years
There are now 3,110 billionaires but analysis shows ‘deep structural acceleration’ in wealth creation around worldThe number of billionaires in the world could reach nearly 4,000 by 2031, figures suggest, as the super-rich accumulate wealth at an accelerating rate.There are now 3,110 billionaires globally, according to analysis by the estate agent Knight Frank. This is forecast to rise by 25% over the next five years, taking the total to 3,915. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
To be human is to live with friction. That’s something AI boosters will never understand | Alexander Hurst
We’re being sold a world where there’s no room for reflection or spontaneity. This is the Black Mirror stage of capitalismHow fast do you have to strike a match to get it to light? Not the chemistry of the ignition, but the actual speed, in metres per second, that the little piece of wood and its bulbous head have to move to spark the chain reaction behind the flame.It was a question born of insomnia. And there, in the dark, I did the thing you’re not supposed to do, if your goal is to fall back asleep: I opened my phone. Before I knew it, 3am had become 5am. I learned about the composition of the friction strip (red phosphorus, pulverized glass), and of the match head (potassium chlorate, antimony trisulphide, wax), and that a safety match struck against anything else will not light. I found slow-motion videos of a match strike captured at 3,500 frames per second. But nothing about the speed.Alexander Hurst writes for Guardian Europe from Paris. His memoir Generation Desperation is out now Continue reading...
theguardian.com
One ship, three deaths: the shocking truth behind working conditions on a Chinese fishing vessel
Damning testimony from the crew of one longline tuna-fishing boat has lifted the lid on the treatment of workers in the fleets supplying fish to the UK and EUAbdul was the first to fall sick, in February 2025, four months into his first ever stint on a longline tuna fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean. Told he was “weak” and “overreacting” by other crew members, he forced himself to keep working, even when he could barely stand, his legs swollen and bruised.In the months that followed, other crew members of the Tai Xiang 5, a Chinese vessel belonging to Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries, a large state-owned fishing company, allegedly began to suffer similar symptoms: swollen, painful limbs and debilitating weakness, with some becoming very short of breath. They were offered no proper medical care, claims Abdul, 36, nor rest from the gruelling 16-hour days, for which they earned 4.6m Indonesian rupiah (about £198) a month. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CEO of Southeast Asia’s largest bank shares what keeps her up at night
For DBS CEO Tan Su Shan, the biggest risk keeping her up at night is not just market volatility or geopolitical shocks, but cyberattacks.
cnbc.com
Step aside Tesla, BYD: Japanese carmakers deepen their hold on India's auto market with hybrids
In the world's third-largest auto market, demand for hybrid cars is racing ahead of EVs, deepening the hold of Japanese carmakers in India.
theguardian.com
The ‘big durian’: one day in Jakarta, the world’s largest city
The UN has officially designated Jakarta the world’s largest city, home to 42 million. We explore a day in the life of the ‘big durian’.In December, the United Nations officially designated Jakarta the world’s largest city, hosting a staggering 42 million inhabitants. Michael Neilson speaks to several people who call the ‘big durian’ home – about the positives and the negatives – and how community and the city’s infamously dry humour get them through. Continue reading...
bbc.com
How a pivot to hair accessories led to business success
Jenny Lennick's colourful hair clips are sold across the US and around the world.
theguardian.com
Yes, retail investment needs a boost – but the squirrel looks too tame | Nils Pratley
Ambition behind investing campaign is laudable, yet cutting stamp duty on share purchases, for example, would be much more savvyCity firms bank on ‘savvy’ ad campaign to push Brits towards investingRed squirrel characters have a history in the public information game. Older UK readers may recall Tufty, who taught children about road safety in the 1970s. His chum, Willy Weasel, regularly got knocked down by passing cars but clever Tufty always remembered to look both ways.Now comes Savvy Squirrel, who, with backing from the chancellor and a multi-year lump of advertising spend from the financial services industry, will try “to drive a step-change in how investing is understood, discussed and adopted”, as the blurb puts it. In translation: don’t squirrel everything away in a boring cash Isa but try taking an investment risk or two if you value your long-term financial health. Continue reading...
bbc.com
China weathered Trump's tariffs - but the Iran war is taking a toll
The Middle East conflict is putting pressure on factory orders, costs and jobs in China's export-driven economy.
bbc.com
Billionaire backer sues Trump family's crypto firm over alleged extortion
Billionaire investor Justin Sun is suing the family's World Liberty crypto venture after spending $45m on its tokens.
bbc.com
Inflation: What do price increases mean for you?
Prices went up by 3.3% in March, but what does that mean for you asks the BBC's Colletta Smith.
theguardian.com
What is Mythos AI and why could it be a threat to global cybersecurity?
Anthropic’s decision to restrict access to its powerful new model increases fears about the advanced technologyAnthropic has ruled out releasing its latest AI model, Claude Mythos, to the public because of the threat it poses to global cybersecurity.However, the US tech startup behind the Claude chatbot confirmed on Wednesday it was investigating a report that a group of people had gained unauthorised access to Mythos. The alleged incident has raised concerns over the pace of development and the ability of tech companies to keep their riskiest products out of the public domain. Here, we examine Mythos and its potential impact. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Lufthansa cuts 20,000 summer flights as fuel prices surge
The airline is the latest to cut flights as the US-Israel war with Iran sends jet fuel prices soaring.
cnbc.com
AI hardware, real assets and an EM play: 4 investment strategies from the studio
Guests in CNBC's London and Singapore studios weigh in as an extension to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire dominates investor sentiment.
theguardian.com
‘A well-known secret’: inside Toronto’s violent tow truck wars
A string of violent incidents, including shootings and trucks set on fire, has been linked to Toronto’s towing industryWhen Cameron moved his family to a suburb north of Toronto last year, neighbours told him it one of the safest streets in the area. The roads were lined with cream-brick houses and manicured lawns. In summer, kids played between driveways; in winter, they dug tunnels through snowbanks.But any hope of a peaceful life on Allison Ann Way was shattered when a house across the street was shot at four times in five months. The most recent attack came in early February, as Cameron was leaving for work. Moments after his children had headed out for school, gunfire tore into the neighbour’s garage and a dark SUV sped off. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Trump taught us to prioritize our own wallets. Now he’s paying the price | Jamil Smith
The reckless Iran war shows up for most Americans as a number at a gas pump, not as images or moral reckoningThe airport in Las Vegas last Friday afternoon was what you might expect for a WrestleMania weekend. Packed terminal. Delays stacking up. Nobody going anywhere. Then we heard why.Air Force One was on the ground. Everything stopped. No one was taking off until the president finished doing his business. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
How Bolivia’s cacao farmers took on the gold-mining industry – and won
As rising gold prices fuel environmental destruction, communities in the country’s biodiverse heartland are passing laws against mining Mahogany trees tower above Herminio Mamani as he tends his cacao farm in Bolivia’s biodiverse north-west. A former president of El Ceibo, the country’s largest organic cacao co-operative, he says the agroforestry model used by its 1,300 members is vital not only to maintain the quality of the cacao they grow, which is used for chocolate and other products, but also for keeping gold mining at bay.“We cacao producers would never kill an animal here,” he says, parrots squawking nearby. “The parcels [of land] can never be monocultures – all the crops grow together.” Continue reading...
bbc.com
Three ways the latest inflation figures affect you
How high could inflation get? And what could it mean for borrowers and savers around the country?
bbc.com
Car finance compensation scheme faces challenge and delay
The move could further delay payouts to millions of drivers who were mis-sold motor finance.
bbc.com
Oil prices fluctuate as Trump extends Iran war ceasefire
The president also said the US will continue to blockade Iran's ports until peace talks progress.
bbc.com
McDonald's boss on abuse claims: 'I don't want to talk about the past'
A BBC investigation in 2023 heard from more than 100 McDonald's workers in the UK claiming they faced sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying
theguardian.com
‘Fullz’, ‘clicking’ and ‘addys’: how teens talk about fraud
Kaf Okpattah reveals the language used by scammers, from ‘squares’ to ‘clicking’ and ‘mule herder’Kaf Okpattah can speak the language of scammers. “Squares is one word which comes up a lot. That’s bank cards,” he says. “Fullz … that’s a person’s full financial information.”In his new book, Scam Nation, he goes through more. “Clicking”, which means using stolen details to commit online crime; “addy”, which is used for the shipping address for fraudulently bought gear; and “mule herder”, meaning someone who recruits and manages people accepting stolen funds. Many of these are words he learned at school, he says. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘Get back to work’: Amazon faces fresh scrutiny over workplace safety record
Workers and labor advocates say the company’s injury rates and how it treats injured staff remain a problemAmazon, one of the world’s largest employers, has for years faced scrutiny over its safety record. When Billy Foister, a 48-year-old worker, died after a heart attack inside one of the tech giant’s warehouses in September 2019, managers were accused of telling staff to “get back to work”.When another worker died this month at a distribution center in Troutdale, Oregon, an Amazon spokesperson claimed they had collapsed from an “existing medical issue”. They denied a report that a nearby employee was told: “Please get back to work.” Continue reading...
bbc.com
UK inflation rises after Iran war pushes up fuel prices
The figures provide the first official look at the impact of the Iran war on the cost of living in the UK.
bbc.com
World's biggest condom maker set to raise prices due to Iran war
Malaysia-based Karex produces more than five billion condoms a year and supplies global brands like Durex and Trojan.
theguardian.com
#ToddlerSkincare: the ‘dark and exploitative’ world of children’s beauty videos on TikTok
Skincare videos are featuring children as young as two, Guardian analysis finds, prompting fears about the industry’s reach and lack of safeguards‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencersChildren as young as two are appearing in TikTok videos demonstrating their skincare routines, a Guardian investigation has found, raising concerns about the beauty industry’s reach and the lack of safeguards for child influencers.The research found that 400 TikTok videos out of the 7,600 skincare-related posts analysed featured routines or advice presented by children believed to be under 13. At least 90 of these posts featured under-fives, including babies and toddlers. Continue reading...
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War in Iran 'has put up our fuel bill by £100,000'
How are rising oil prices affecting truckers, carers and heating oil users?
theguardian.com
The security report the UK government doesn’t want you to see – podcast
Fiona Harvey tells Nosheen Iqbal why the climate crisis is a threat to national security“Last October, I and other journalists got quite excited because we thought that we were going to be attending a great event at the Natural History Museum,” the Guardian’s environment editor Fiona Harvey tells Nosheen Iqbal.“We had been told that there was a major report being launched at this event. And this report was going to come not just from where you’d expect – from the government’s environment department – but also from the joint intelligence committee, and they are the UK’s spy chiefs, MI5, MI6, the intelligence agencies. And they were taking an interest in the climate and biodiversity and the threats that they pose to the UK’s national security.” Continue reading...
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I was left with an £8,000 vet bill when my insurer cancelled my pet policy
Thousands of people have got in touch with BBC Your Voice over concerns about rising pet insurance costs and poor cover.
bbc.com
Meta to track workers' clicks and keystrokes to train AI
The firm will take data from the way employees work for its artificial intelligence models.
bbc.com
Hotpot, bubble tea and sportswear: China's new exports take on the world
Made in China used to mean cheap, mass-produced goods but a new wave of Chinese brands is emerging.
theguardian.com
Kevin Warsh accused of being Trump's 'sock puppet' as senators grill Fed chair nominee – video
During Warsh's confirmation hearing, Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns that Federal Reserve nominee would become a 'sock puppet' for Donald Trump. Republican senator John Kennedy also asked Warsh to deny he would be the president's 'sock puppet', which he did Continue reading...
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OpenAI faces criminal probe over role of ChatGPT in shooting
The firm, co-founded by Sam Altman, said it is "not responsible" for the attack at Florida State University
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From Epstein to sock puppets: Key takeaways from Kevin Warsh's Fed confirmation hearing
He denied making a deal with Donald Trump on interest rates and backed "policy regime change" at the central bank.
theguardian.com
Four key takeaways from Apple’s change of leadership
Analysts say next boss John Ternus should diversify tech giant away from iPhones and raise its game in AIJohn Ternus takes over from Tim Cook as chief executive of Apple in September. A company insider, Ternus is moving up from his role as head of engineering to take control of the entire $4tn (£3tn) business.Apple is a vast, successful tech company and one of the most recognised brands in the world. But it faces challenges nonetheless. Here is a look at Ternus’s in-tray. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Many pensioners have enjoyed benefits young people can only dream of | Letter
Dr Craig Reeves responds to a letter that said pensioners aren’t better off under Keir Starmer’s governmentJames Kyle writes “with a heavy heart” against Labour’s treatment of pensioners, seeing the personal allowance threshold freeze as a betrayal that shows the Tories are more on the side of “those who have worked hard all their lives” (Letters, 12 April).I’m no fan of Keir Starmer, but the suggestion that this is an anti-pensioner move is beyond credulity. Today’s pensioners benefited from numerous public goods that they also statistically voted against: publicly owned infrastructure; publicly funded university education; council housing and affordable private rents and house prices; robust workers’ rights; free movement across Europe. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Why are UK electricity prices linked to gas – and what does it mean for bills?
Government has shaken up the way electricity is priced as British costs are among the highest in the worldElectricity generators threatened with higher windfall taxes in bid to ensure stable pricesThe second global energy crisis of this decade has reignited questions about Britain’s grid strategy, specifically: why does it continue to have one of the most expensive electricity markets in the world?Despite the growing role of domestically generated renewable power, electricity wholesale prices in the UK have more than doubled since the war in Iran triggered a global squeeze on seaborne gas shipments from the Gulf. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Unemployment rate unexpectedly falls as fewer students look for work
The drop has been largely driven by a rise in the number of people not actively seeking work.
bbc.com
Royal Mail to ask part-time posties to work more to meet letter targets
Royal Mail has faced a chorus of criticism for failing to meet its targets on letter delivery.
theguardian.com
Kevin Warsh: Trump’s ideal choice to push Fed to cut interest rates
Former Wall Street banker faces questions at confirmation hearing – but his biggest backer is also his biggest liabilityOn the face of it, Kevin Warsh looks like an ideal candidate to chair the Federal Reserve, the world’s most important central bank. The 56-year-old Ivy League economist, former Wall Street banker and presidential adviser ticks all the boxes. Unfortunately for Warsh, as he faces what could be a fraught nomination hearing, his biggest backer is also his biggest liability.In his second term, Donald Trump has attacked the Fed in a manner both unprecedented and unseemly. He has called current chair Jerome Powell – whom he also appointed – a “jerk” and “a stubborn MORON”, and repeatedly threatened to fire him. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘It’s a big loss’: what happens when a beautiful village loses its bus route?
Mousehole in Cornwall once had a butcher, post office and general store. Now it doesn’t even have an ATM – and one of its crucial bus services has been cut. Can residents save this vital resource?It’s early April and the sun is shining over Mousehole, Cornwall, as an older couple trudge up the hill to their nearest bus stop before sinking into two of the plastic chairs that have been lined up on the side of the road. Until recently, buses would come right to the centre of the fishing village, the couple are soon explaining to a pair of Australian tourists also waiting for the bus. But when the bus route was taken over by the Go-Ahead transport group in February, the small, ice-cream-van-like buses that had been used by the previous bus company, First Bus, were swapped for full-size buses – some of them double deckers – that wouldn’t be safe to drive through Mousehole’s narrow streets. So the route, which has been taking passengers down to the harbour since the 1920s, was cut short, and now ends at the edge of the village.You don’t have to spend long in Mousehole, described as “the loveliest village in England” by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, to learn of residents’ dismay over this change. “Save Our Stop” flyers have been stuck in the windows of houses and businesses, while a banner adorns the railing next to where the old stop used to be, inviting passersby to sign the petition to have it reinstated and “make Mousehole accessible to all again” – a petition that now has more than 5,000 signatures. Continue reading...
bbc.com
The 'dumb machine' promising a clean energy breakthrough
A stellarator is difficult to build, but could it be the best way to make fusion energy work?
bbc.com
Are insider traders making millions from the Iran war?
The BBC has found suspicious trading patterns that correlate with some of the president's most market-moving statements.
bbc.com
Why your recycled clothes could end up in this South American desert
Old garments from around the world are being discarded in the South American country.
bbc.com
Scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated - this is what the fightback looks like
Scams have exploded over the last few years. Can countries and companies come together to turn the tables on the scammers?
bbc.com
Could a digital twin make you into a 'superworker'?
Firms say digital twins make staff more productive, but are they a potential legal minefield?
bbc.com
Back to books - Sweden's schools cutting back on digital learning
Swedish classrooms swap laptops for books, pens and paper, raising concerns from the tech sector.
bbc.com
Quantum computing: A tech race Europe could win?
With some promising computing companies in the field, could Europe be a leader in quantum tech?
bbc.com
The Dutch village at risk of being demolished
Moerdijk has been earmarked for removal, to make way for a vast electricity substation.
bbc.com
'Every drop of water counts': Fear for the future of Argentina's glaciers
A controversial law to ease protections for the glaciers has passed, opening the doors for mining.
bbc.com
TV for dogs booms but are they watching?
TV channels for dogs are multiplying but research is mixed on whether dogs are watching.
bbc.com
The construction boss who built a new life after three years in prison
Traci Quinn, who was jailed for a drugs offence, has transformed herself and set up a successful firm.
bbc.com
The US refinery now processing Venezuelan oil
Chevron is now importing 250,000 barrels of crude per day from Venezuela.
bbc.com
The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
Butter, chocolate, coffee and milk have all seen prices rocket. Tracing back through the story of one particular supermarket staple begins to explain why
bbc.com
Prepare for turbulence - how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
The Gulf's hub airports made long-distance travel cheaper - but now their future looks unclear.
bbc.com
Sir John Curtice: Why Labour's Brexit focus has shifted from Leavers to Remainers
Will the pursuit of a closer relationship with the EU risk courting electoral disaster by alienating Brexit-backing voters?
bbc.com
The real impact of roadworks on the country - and why they're set to get worse
There is a fine balance between the benefits of improved infrastructure, versus the cost of disruption. Does the country have it right?
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